“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.”
1 John 1:9 (KJV)
The answer is: This passage is Gospel – not Law – and it must be both understood and applied as Gospel.
The word “if” in this Gospel passage does not signify a cause or reason for God’s forgiveness of our sins, as it would if the passage was Law. Rather, it signifies a consequence; for it relates to the mode of application that God has appointed for these Gospel promises, and that is “faith alone”. God is “faithful and just” to forgive our sins, NOT because we confess our sins!!!, (As though we could ever possibly merit His forgiveness!) But He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins ONLY because God has promised to accept – and has indeed accepted, (Praise God!) – our reconciliation to Himself in the suffering and death of His beloved Son, Jesus Christ. In doing so, our heavenly Father is proving Himself “faithful” to His promises (Hebrews 10:23). And He is showing He is “just” in this manner too. For, to break His promise, a promise that has been ratified with the precious innocent blood of His Son, Jesus Christ, would be both an unfaithful and horribly unjust act.
Furthermore, we must understand this Gospel passage is meant for those who are already converted – and not for those yet unconverted – those who yet must first be struck by the full force of the Law before the healing balm of the Gospel may rightly be applied to their benefit.
This is evident by to whom the letter of the Apostle John is written. He is writing to a Christian congregation about how “God is Light” and that as Christians they should "walk in the light" and how this "walking in the light" includes fellowship with God, daily consciousness of one's sinfulness, an abhorrence of sin, confession of sin, brotherly love, sanctification, excluding love of the world and discipleship under false teachers, etc. Those that are Christians only exercise all these spiritual activities. The unbeliever does not.
The Law does not and cannot draw man to God. Yes, it promises salvation, but only to those that keep it perfectly in ALL its demands – something sinful man cannot do.
The Law either drives man away from God and into greater sin, or it makes him despair of his sinful condition and look for a way out from under the condemnation that is his on account of his sin. The Law can only show man his sinfulness, and it offers man no means truly applicable to himself that he might escape God’s anger, condemnation and eternal damnation.
The Gospel, on the other hand, makes absolutely no demands. It simply offers to man the free gift of full forgiveness of sins, life and salvation. It invites all who are thirsty unto death, to drink and that freely. And so it draws the individual terrified by his sins to his loving and merciful God. The Gospel shows him the great love of God for sinners and makes of him a new creature. By the Gospel alone, man is enabled to love God and does love God in return, and the new man is then prompted by the love of God in Christ Jesus to keep the Law to the best of his ability. It is not the Law, but the Gospel alone that procures and effects observance of the Law.
The misapplication and mingling of Law and Gospel, whether from the pulpit or in printed publication, is no trifling matter. It visits terrible spiritual consequences upon those that receive it into their hearts. Practiced consistently from the pulpit, it encourages doctrinal error to take root and grow as a cancer within a congregation. Left unchecked, it results in the eventual loss of the Truth. In printed publication, it will lead the unconverted reader and the reader who is simple in faith to despair of God’s grace and mercy and may cause even the more spiritually mature in faith to fall prey to its insidious effects.
If any of my readers are interested in learning more, I recommend a thorough reading and study of Dr. C.F.W. Walther’s The Proper Distinction Between Law and Gospel,
(A link to this “E-book” and a companion study guide are available free of charge here: http://lutheranwatchman.weebly.com/e-books.html)
~ The Lutheran Watchman © 2014